Undertale Purple
by glowkate
Summary: Being the second human to fall into the underground, Percival wishes to return to his family and friends. Alongside the friends he makes will Percival be able to breach the barrier trapping everyone? This is my first fanfiction and I would love some feedback! Feel free to give it!
1. Chapter 1 - Falling

He was falling. The world around him, spinning. His stomach was sick with nausea, and blood was rushing to his head. His arms wrapped around his beloved diary, clenching it, protecting it. He wouldn't allow it to be lost in the fall, as so many of his belongings had. There was a flash of light, a cold sensation shot down from his hands to his feet, he shuddered. Straining his neck, he looked towards the ground. It was muddy and damp. It was approaching fast. He held out his left arm. He hit the ground; there was pain and there was darkness.

"Hmm..?" The voice echoed down the corridor. A humanoid goat walked through the old, moss-ridden gateway. She held out a lantern filled with a magical flame, her purplish-blue robe trailing behind her. She turned a corner. She saw him; she saw the human.

"Oh dear...oh dear..." the goat rushed over to the child. Kneeling down, she flipped him onto his back. He was unconscious, his left arm was bleeding severely, perhaps it was even broken. Her breathing quickened. She checked his pulse, it was good. She checked his breathing, also good. She just had to attend to his arm. With a strong tug, she ripped off a portion of her robe, wrapping it around the child's arm to stop the bleeding. Using a pinch of fire magic she heated up the bandage while she applied pressure to it. She waited, pressing her full weight down on the wound. Minutes passed, they felt like hours. The goat held her breath as she let off her arms. The bleeding had stopped. She let out a sigh of relief. She cautiously picked up the human, putting her lantern between her teeth. As she was about to leave the old caverns something caught the edge of her vision. A book, thick and well loved, and a pencil with a stubby eraser. She put them in her robe's pocket, being careful not to drop the child. With him safe for the time being, the goat made off for her home.

When the human awoke he found himself in a bed. The blanket was colourful, dyed a bright yellow. He tried to roll onto his side, his arm flared up in pain. He held it up, there was something on it, although his vision was blurred. With his right arm he felt around for his glasses. His arm flailed around the side of the bed, eventually hitting a bedside table. His hand passed above the table, he hit a book, he felt along the top of the book...

Bingo. He slid his glasses on and the world came into focus. The room he was in was quite childish. There were drawings carpeting the walls, drawn in colourful crayons. A box in the corner had some old shoes in it and there was a stash of plastic toys on the other end of the room. The human looked down at his left arm, it was wrapped in a purplish-blue cloth. There was a stick of wood between the cloth and his arm. Upon inspecting his arm closer it was clear it was broken. The human sat up. He tested his legs, they ached a bit but they were functional. He slid out of bed, using his good arm to keep balance. He wobbled to the door, groaning. He opened the door. The goat was sitting down in a chair, she turned to face him.

"Oh!" she said. She put down the book she had been rapidly flipping through and stood up. "I've been waiting for you to wake up...do you feel okay?" The human shrugged.

"I think my arm's broken," he muttered.

"Oh. Yeah," said the goat, "Once I stopped the bleeding I took you here. It's my home, I put the splint in here." The human stared at her.

"You're uh...you're a monster, right?"

"Yeah," the goat replied, "The name's Toriel."

"Percival," the human raised his good arm, Toriel shook it. "Uh...where exactly am I?"

"You've fallen into what we call the underground. Below Mt. Ebott. Specifically we are in the Ruins." Percival scratched his head.

"I've only read stories about monsters, I've never met one before. You seem like a nice person though."

Toriel blushed a bit, "Thanks. I've heard the stories about us...they aren't pleasant."

"Are there any monsters that are actually like the stories? The ones that attack us?"

"I mean..." Toriel looked to the side, "Some monsters...yes, some monsters are likely to attack you. Don't worry though, it's not out of bloodthirst or anything. There's just been some...problems with humans in the past." Percival looked at his broken arm. "I'm sure you can talk to the other monsters, the ones that try to hurt you at least...oh!"

Toriel rushed over to her closet and pulled out a dummy, it's face and body were made of new fabrics and fresh cotton. "I've just finished this recently, it's a dummy, supposed to replicate a monster. I want you to talk to it."

"You want me to talk to the dummy."

"Yes."

"The lifeless plush that can't speak back."

"Would it help if I talked for the dummy?"

"Sure?"

Percival looked the dummy in it's button eye. "Uh...hi?"

"Hello!" Toriel shook the dummy to imitate it speaking.

"Umm...I think you look really cute?" Percival winced, that came out much more cringy then he had hoped.

"Aww, nobody ever says that about me! They always say I look beat up and old."

"Really? But you look brand new!"

"That's so nice of you to say that!"

Toriel leaned over, stepping out of character she whispered, "Once the monster

doesn't want to fight, often showing that you don't want to fight either will end the combat."

"Does this really work?" Percival asked, "I mean, I'm sure not every monster is going to want to talk to me."

"Everyone wants something, and monsters aren't that hostile. In most cases you should be able to make friends but if you can't...running away is always an option."

"I hope you're right...because if I get into a real fight..." Percival bit his lip, "Defending myself with my broken arm is going to be difficult."

Toriel nodded, "Shall we finish the example fight?"

Percival shrugged, "Sure."

Toriel went behind the dummy and moved it around some more. "Honestly, I don't want to fight you, it's not everyday someone is so nice to me, let alone a human."

"Well," Percival said meekly, "I...don't want to fight you ether?"

Toriel clapped, "Well done Percival!" Percival stood there, in what way was that supposed to substitute for a real, living monster? A ding ringed from the kitchen.

"Oh!" Toriel exclaimed, "That must be my snail pie!"

"Snail...pie..?"

"Yup! I wanted to make something tasty for you!"

"Yum? Uh... I'm going back to the children's room, I think I saw my book in there."

"Okay! The pie will need to cool, make yourself at home." Percival smiled weakly, his muscles tensed up. He opened the door, it made a loud creak and hit the wall with a thud. Percival sank down on the bed he had awoken upon. He grabbed his diary off the bedside table along with his pencil. Flipping the book open to the bookmarked page, Percival started a new entry.

_March 14, 20XX_

_I investigated a cave I found while continuing my investigation up Mt. Ebott. It was lined with these lovely, layered rocks, you could see their colour quite well in the evening. The cave was also quite damp. As I pushed on I found this hole in the ground, you could see the roots of a tree neer it. I shined my flashlight down the hole but I couldn't see the bottom. I got up to leave, but I slipped. I fell into the hole. I broke my arm on the fall and lost my backpack and my flashlight, but atleast I held onto this diary. When I woke up from the fall I had been rescued by this kind, goatlike monster. This was my first time seeing a monster, she seems really nice. According to her, monsters are much nicer than people told me. She recommends I try talking to any I get into a fight with. I'm not sure how well it'll work, but I don't have much of a choice. Even if I wanted to hurt someone, fighting isn't an option with nothing but a broken arm and a book._

Percival took a deep breath and closed the diary. He took his pencil and tucked it into his pocket. Percival took a look at the toy bin, using his one hand he dug through the bin looking for something of interest. All he found was a bug net, which he couldn't use, and some long strips of fabric. They matched up with the fabric on the dummy. Percival grabed a fistfull of these strips and pushed the door back open with his shoulder. Toriel walked out of the kitchen, exotic smells wafting from the doorway.

"Toriel..." Percival asked, "Could you make a sling out of these?" He held up the long fabric strips. Toriel took them from him and stretched them out.

"A bit thin...but yes I could make these into a sling. Here, sit down." Percival sat down in the nearby armchair. Toriel ran over to her bedroom to grab her sewing kit, then got to work.

"The pale brown sling," Toriel started, "It won't go well with the blue wrappings. It'll stick out too much." Percival shrugged.

"As long as it works, I'm fine with it," Percival fiddled with a button on the armchair, "So...your snail pie..."

"It's still cooling, should be good tomorrow. Have you had dinner?"

"Had it right before I entered the cave, right before I fell."

"Ah. Are you going to bed soon?"

"Eh, getting some rest would be good." Toriel finished up the final knot on the sling. "There you go," she said, "All done."

Percival got up, the sling held his arm well. He made his way to the bedroom door.

"Nighty night Percival."

"Good night."

Percival kicked off his shoes and hopped into bed, pulling the covers over. He reached out with his hand and turned off the lamp. Outside he heard Toriel shuffling around. He rested his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

It was not a pleasant sleep. In his dream he was falling...falling...falling. Falling into a bottomless black abyss. Above him hung a creature. It's form was cloaked in shadow but through the darkness Percival could see its piercing red eyes and hungering maw. Large tendrils shot out from the beast, they wrapped around Percival's body. They were as cold as ice. He couldn't move, he was frozen solid. With a clawed hand the beast reached deep into his chest and pulled out his purple, heart-shaped soul. The creature's maw opened, it began to pull him in...closer...closer…

He woke up. Light peeped through the crack in the door. Percival rolled over, his damaged arm hurt a bit. He looked down at his shoes, he'd have to tie them one handed. He kneeled down to give it an attempt...

He walked into the living room in bare feet.

"Morning Percival!" Toriel was at a table, a slice of pie were put on a place. Utensils were neatly laid out. The rest of the pie sat in the middle of the table, beside it was a pot filled with a green tinted soup and a plate of monster shaped crackers. The pie's filling of black, sticky snails leaked from the sides of the slices. "The pie's ready, I'm going to have a slice with breakfast, feel free to help yourself."

Percival passed up the pie. He poured himself a bowl of soup and grabbed two of the monster shaped crackers, putting them beside the soup. He dipped one of the crackers into the soup, it looked like some sort of frog shaped monster. It tasted salty and buzzed in his mouth. Percival tried some of the soup, it was creamy.

Percival fiddled with his spoon, "I had a bad dream last night," he said.

"That's sad to hear."

"The stories people told me about monsters...I want to know something."

"...yes?"

"They say monsters can eat souls. Human souls that is."

"Eating souls..." Toriel took a deep breath, "No, monsters don't eat human souls..."

"Okay...okay..." Percival leaned back in his seat, "Had a nightmare some shadow creature ripped out my soul and ate me...I just wanted to be sure."

Percival ate his other cracker and finished his soup. The second cracker was shaped like a carrot monster.

"Is there anyway I can get home?" Percival asked.

"I have everything I need to raise you here, in the safety of the ruins," Toriel replied.

"I need to get home, my parents and brother are going to worry sick about me if I say here."

"Getting home...if you really want to head home...there's a door that will take you out of the ruins, into the rest of the underground."

"And there is an exit somewhere in the underground?"

"Sort of, there's one in the palace. However if it was as simple as walking out of here all of us monsters wouldn't live in this cramped cave. We've been sealed down here by a magic spell, a barrier of sorts."

"You can't pass through this barrier?"

"Our souls aren't strong enough. But your human soul..."

"Is strong enough to pass through?"

Toriel gulped, "If you go through the door, if you exit the ruins, please, stay safe. That door's a one way ticket out of here." Percival grabbed another frog monster shaped cracker and nibbed slowly on it, avoiding Toriel's eyes.

"Can I take a slice of pie to go?"

"I'll get the shrink wrap." Toriel prepared two slices of snail pie, assembled a satchel of basic supplies, and helped Percival get his shoes on.

"You'll want these," she said, grabbing a worn blue scarf and hat from her wardrobe. There were two little holes in the hat for horns to go. Percival tucked his book into his satchel along with the pie. When he was all packed up Toriel led him downstairs. There was a long hallway, its purple walls lit up in the lamplight. Some of the paint on the walls were starting to peel and cobwebs hung where the wall met the ceiling. Spiders sat there, waiting for pray. They turned a corner, and there it sat. A huge door, taller than Toriel, it's handle was seldom touched and its wood was chipped in several places. Percival took a step forwards.

"Percival..." He turned around to look at Toriel. Toriel tried to formulate words, ending up simply shaking her head and giving Percival a big hug, cautious not to touch his broken arm. Her eyes watered up, she wiped them on her sleeve. She reached out and opened the door, the hallway on its other side loomed in front of Percival. A gust of cold, winter air blew through the corridor. He took a step through the door, then a deep, belly breath. Another step. He looked behind himself. He waved goodbye to Toriel.

She waved back.

She shut the door.

He was on his own now.


	2. Chapter 2 - Through the Cold

On the other side of the hallway was a snowy landscape. Snow carpeted the cavern's floors and light, likely magical in origin, shawn brightly and steadily from the cavern's ceiling. A handful of evergreen trees were even growing out of the thin soil. Percival caught a snowflake on his tongue as it floated down. Taking a breath of the frosty air he pushed along the path. It wasn't very long until he encountered his first monster. A young humanoid dog sat at a freshly painted stand. He wore light armor and carried a pike.

"Sup," the monster said with a slight wave.

"Uh, hi." Percival said.

"Don't mind me," the dog said with a smile, "I'm just here incase a human comes by. King's orders and all."

"I see..." Percvel said, "Do you...know what one looks like?"

"Never seen on', but I'm sure I'll know one when I see one. If you happen to see a human, be sure to tell me. It'll be good on my report."

"I sure will. Good luck finding a human."

"Thanks man," Percival walked on, avoiding the eyes of the friendly monster. He kicked the snow as he walked through it. He wished he had asked for a coat, then again he wasn't sure how he would were it considering his broken arm and sling. _Mom would know how,_ He thought. _She dealt with injured people all the time. If I could just ask her-_ He slipped on a sheet of ice that was hidden by the snow. He landed on his left side, his arm flared up with pain. He winced, pushing himself over onto his back with his good arm. He tried to stand up. He slipped once more, landing square on his back. It hurt. He tried again. He slipped again. Percival grew frustrated. He tried once more, leaning on his right side. He pushed up. He began to wobble. He adjusted his feet, he flailed his good arm around. His right foot slipped, he went down to one knee. Percival pushed himself back up again. _Careful, careful, one foot in front of the other…_ He took a step forward, then another and another. With time and precision he made it to the other end of the ice sheet. He pushed on. He continued down the long road. There was a grouping of monsters in the distance, all sort of shapes and sizes. The wore hardhats and construction outfits. In front of them was an old moldy bridge spanning over a large ravine.

"Hello there kitling," said a white, fluffy, foxlike monster. He held a bottle filled with some sort of soda.

"Hi," said Percival, "Is the bridge under maintenance?"

"Yup, with people now actually living in Snowdin we're repairing the bridge. On break as of now but we'll get back to work soon."

"Is there another path across?" The fox pointed to a dirt path that went deep into the ravine. It looked more like a hiking trail then a road.

"She's a bit rough, but she'll get you to the other side. If a snowstorm flares up just wait it out." The fox took a sip of their bubbly beverage. Percival nodded, he made his way down the winding slope into the snowy valley.

The valley was deep, large cliffs overhanging the pathway through. A steady stream of wind blew snow down from up high. The trees grew thicker here, largely undisturbed by society. It was colder down there too. Much, much colder. The wind bit at Percival's nose and ears. Gusts of snow blew on his glasses. There was a clearing, a place where the two slopes on either side of him curved away. The snowfall was lighter here, there was a white, round, icy covered rock in the middle. Percival took a moment to rest on the rock, he cleaned off his glasses and adjusted his scarf to cover his nose. He took a second to breath. Thump. A clump of snow fell from up high. Thump, thump. The ground began to shake. More snow fell along the sides of the cliffs. Percival hopped off of the rock. He looked around frantically. Thump thump thump. There was movement in the snow, Percival stumbled back as a huge, white worm bursted out of the snow. Its body was divided into segments, thick stubby scales covered its body and dull short spines lined the ends of the segments. Two feathery feelers stuck up like antennae where its eyes should be. It's mouth covered the rest of its face with two rows of long teeth. Percival let out a yelp.

The worm's feelers twitched slightly, it let out a slobbery roar and dived at Percival. He jumped back, barely getting out of the way of the worm. Percival began to run to the other side of the clearing. The worm was burrowing through the snow at an alarming rate. It burst out of the ground again, covering Percival in a shower of snow and sleet. Percival turned around to face the worm. He held out his hand.

"I'm not going to hurt you...I'm just passing through..." The worm growled, it's feelers vibrated as fast as a bug's wing. Percival was backing up.

"I don't want a fight..." The worm stood there, it's mouth closing and opening again. There was a voice from behind Percival.

"Oh shit," it said, "Oh holy shit." Percival turned around, there was a tall, thin man, decked out from head to toe in winter wear. He wore a blue coat with the hood up, a woolly red scarf, thick snow pants, gloves, and boots. Percival couldn't see his face well, he only saw the two pinpricks of light coming from the man's eyes.

"You, kid, get the hell outta there!" The worm lunged at Percival with a mighty shriek. In a panic, Percival propelled his soul out of his body and out into the clearing. The worm hit him, it hurt, he fell to the ground, he was bleeding. _At least it didn't hit my soul._

From the edge of his vision he saw the man running towards him. His head swirled. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

Then the world went funny. His body became weightless. The world around Percival melted away into an abstract landscape of colours and shapes. The man was there too, he looked tense, grasping Percival tightly. It lasted only a second before he was thrust into the real world again. He found himself out of the clearing. He stood up. He took a deep breath. He focused, pulling his soul from the clearing back into his body.

"You're human." The voice sent ice shooting through Percival's veins. He turned around to face the tall, skinny man.

"I saw your soul, that's a human's soul. Would explain your mucking about with that Snowyrm egg. Very stupid of you by the way."

"Snowyrm egg? That...that was the rock I was sitting on, wasn't it?"

"I see you have some brain in you after all." Percival relaxed a bit.

"How did I get here? One moment I was in that clearing the next..."

"Little teleportation trick," the tall man explained, "It's my specialty."

"Thanks for that...for saving me."

"Now is not the time for thanking me, you're bleeding." Percival looked down at his torn shirt, a bit of blood was dripping out.

"It doesn't hurt that much," Percival lied, "I'll be fine." The monster's eyes narrowed.

"It...it's still..." He shook his head and sighed, "What's your name kid."

"Percival. And yours?"

"...Wing."

"Wing?"

"Wing."

"Just Wing."

"Yup."

"That's uh...that's very..."

"I know okay?"

"Oh. Sorry." A powerful gust of snow blew through the path. Percival began to shiver. The snowfall picked up as heavier winds blew through the ravine.

"Snowstorm," Wing said.

"We can just wait it out, right?"

"Bingo kid. There's a nice family that lives in a cabin near here. I'm good friends with them. I'm sure they'll let us stay over. Perhaps we can even score you a new shirt." Percival tugged at the hole in their yellow striped shirt. A strong gust of wind sent a shiver down his spine.

"Can you teleport us there?"

"I'm not a goddamn taxi!" Wing began down the path at a swift rate. Percival didn't move. He was all tense and was nibbling at a fingernail. Wing turned around, frustrated. "Chop chop, do you want to get swept away by the snowstorm?"

Percival caught up. By the time the cabin was in sight the snowstorm had really started to kick in. Percival was as cold as a popsicle. He trudged on, his heart beating in his chest. Wing gave a hearty knock on the door. Pause. Silence. Another knock, louder than before. Nothing.

"Damm...damm..." he muttered. He raised his arm for a third knock.

The door opened.

There was a kid, about Percival's age, standing at the door. The look of confusion on his face quickly blossomed into a wide smile.

"Wing! Hello hello! Come in, come in." The batlike kid stepped aside. His fur was purple with darker stripes along his ears, arms, and legs. His arms were winglike, albet much too small for flight. Percival and Wing stepped out of the freezing cold. Wing began to take his many layers of winter clothing off. The bat kid looked at Percival in interest.

"Don't think I've seen you round'. I'm Arlo, you new in Snowdin?" He reached his arm out. Percival shook it.

"Percival, I'm not from around here."

"Cool stuff! I just live here. My ma my pop and I." Wing finished putting away his winter clothes, and Percival could see him more clearly. His skin was pure white and firm, more bonelike then skinlike. He had 2 eye sockets with little lights for pupils and his hands had holes that ran from the back of the hand through the palm. On his body he wore a plain black shirt with simple jeans.

"Ah, that's much better." he said. There were footsteps, a tall womanly bat with similar anatomy to Arlo came down the stairs. She had lighter fur and less stripes.

"Dr. Gaster!" She exclaimed, "It's been so long! How have you been?" She ran down and pinched Wing's cheeks.

"Amanda…personal space please..."

"My bad hon. Got a bit excited. We've missed your visits you know, and I see you've brought a friend!" she leaned down to face Persival, "Hello hon, you don't look good. You've been getting yourself into fights?"

"I'm fine," Percival said, not wanting to alarm her, "Just looking to wait out the snow storm. Perhaps locate a new shirt?" Arlo and Amanda looked at Percival's torn shirt.

"Mom, that shirt that Jean gave us."

"Yes, yes of course hon!" The two ran upstairs. Wing and Persival sat there.

"She called you Dr. Gaster," Persival said.

"I'm a scientist," Wing said, "Royal scientist actually. Been a lot of work since Asgore declared war on the human race. Doubt you even know about that honestly."

"Asgore...is he the king?" Wing nodded.

"Asgore lost his son to humans. He declared war on humanity afterwards."

"If you work for the king, why haven't you attacked me or somthing?"

"My moral duties stand above my duty to Asgore. Not killing kids is high on the moral chart." Scuffling came from upstairs. Arlo ran downstairs, clutching a medium sized striped shirt along with some bandages.

"One of my friends moms...she made this for me," Arlo said, "She didn't account for my wings, I can't use it." The shirt was green with blue stripes.

"I can have it?" Percival asked.

"Totes!" Arlo and Wing helped Percival get the new shirt on and aplyed the bandages to his wound. Amanda grabbed some bandages and wrapped them around Percival's belly wound. He went over to a mirror.

"It looks nice!" he said, "Even if it is a bit baggy. With that out of the way..."

Percival looked out the window.

It was still snowing hard. Amanda and Wing went off to make some hot coco.

"Hey, Percy,"

"Did you just call me Percy?"

"Sure, anyways Percy, I have some video games in my room. You know, to pass the time."

"Uh...sure." Arlo was bouncing with excitement.

"Eeee!" He ran up the stairs, "Come on! They're up here!" Percival followed slowly behind. The door to Arlo's room was already open. There were posters that appeared to be of video game characters, although Percival couldn't recognize any of them. There was a big screen near the door with bean bags to sit on. Arlo was looking through a big box with a rattle and clank. He groaned.

"Here, try this one handed controller," he pulled the controller out of the box. The thing was nuts, it was a long rectangular stick. It had a joystick on the front, a button on the top, and three other buttons on the back. Percival grabbed the thing and tried to grasp it, without much luck. Arlo put his hand over Percival's.

"You hold it like this," Arlo adjusted Percival's fingers. It still wasn't ideal, even in the right position. Arlo fished a much more familiar controller out of the bin. Fit well in one's palms, had a joystick and three buttons in a triangular pattern.

Arlo slotted in a disk. The screen lit up in an explosion of colour. Anime-inspired characters flew across an abstract background.

"It's...it's...IT'S SO CUTE!" Percival practically squealed with joy.

"You like that kind of stuff?"

"My older brother was into art, I always loved his cute characters the most. He usually drew more mature stuff though."

"Did he draw people?"

"Yeah," Percival perked up, "Drew his friends as wizards once."

"Like, he drew them as human wizards? The type with staffs and that need to mutter incantations to do magic?"

"Uh guess so,"

"Humans are weird."

"Yeah...weird. Weird weird humans..."

"Anyways," Arlo went into a character select screen, "Anyone here tickle your fancy?"

Percival looked at them all, there were 8 to choose from, they all looked adorable with big eyes and button noses. Yet there was one that stuck out to Percival,

"The slime," he selected the small yellow blob with shining blue eyes and rosy cheeks. Arlo selected a taller humanoid, it's features obscured by detective garb but still charming. A tuft of red hair stuck out from under his wide brimmed hat.

"Bubble is a good character, has lifesteal and can split himself into smaller slimes"

"What can your character do?"

"Mr. H has a lot of utility. Gimmicky but beloved." Arlo taught Percival the basics of the game. Move your character, pick an action, then the enemies go. Simple but effective and fun.

"Hey out of curiosity," Arlo said as he approached some ghosts, "What kind of magic can you do?"

"M-magic?" Percival launched an ambush from a hedge.

"Yeah, I can do cool lightning tricks! What can you do?"

Percival gulped down a warm lump in his throat.

_Oh jeez,_ he thought, _He must think I'm also a monster._ Should he tell Arlo the truth, that he can't do magic because he's human?

_He might react badly. Perhaps I should make something up._ He tried to think of a good fake magic power.

_It can't be something I can actively do, he might want to see me do it if it is._

"Uh well..." Percival fumbled, "You see I can-"

Wing and Amanda entered the room. In their hands they clutched mugs of hot chocolate.

_Oh thank goodness._ Percival thought. He and Arlo happily accepted the sugar filled drinks. Wing left the room, fiddling with his thumbs. Amanda looked over at Arlo, a slight frown on her face.

"Hon," she said, "May I have a word with you?"

"Sure! Just a second Percy!" Arlo sprang up and slipped outside with Amanda, closing the door behind them.

Percival was alone. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. He wasn't a fan of the whipped cream but he didn't care. He look a look out the window, the snowstorm was clearing up a bit. The winds were still fierce but most of the snow had already fallen into the valley. The wind just pushed around the grounded snow in strong drafts.

He took a long sip from his mug. It was creamy and sweet. Very, very sweet. Percival savored his time alone, though it was short lived. A few minutes later Arlo returned.

"Hey Arlo," Percival smiled.

Arlo wasn't smiling.

"Are…are you okay?" Percival asked.

"Oh yeah, yeah. Just got a question. Wing told mom that you're well...human. Is that true?"

Percival bit his lip. _Well, no point in hiding it now._

He nodded.

"Oh...oh dear." Percival tensed up.

"Do you feel alone down here? I mean, stuck in a weird new cramped place. Nobody you knew from before, only monsters?"

"I-I..." Percival took a deep breath, using all his willpower to stop himself from sobbing, "Yeah. I loved home, the large forests. I loved playing with my brother and his friends. I loved hearing Jaz play her guitar by the old bus stop. Home was good. Mellow, tame...god I-" He couldn't keep it in anymore. He wept. Arlo patted him on the back.

"But now Jaz has moved out. Now one of my brother's friends are dead. Now my goddamn arm's broken and I'm here in the cold surrounded by a nation with a target on my back."

Percival's soul thummed, beating in sync with his heart. His head spun, beset by a sudden wave of lightheadedness.

"Ugg," Percival finished his hot chocolate, putting his mug to the side. The snowstorm had halted now, the snow shining with reflected light.

"The surface, is it beautiful?"

"Yeah...used to sit up on a big hill and watch the sunset."

"Gramps used to tell me stories of the surface. He said that the sky lit up with the colours of fire during a sunset." Percival nodded.

"I miss home."

"I bet." The two sat in silence. Arlo turned the game off.

More silence.

"Hey, Percy."

"Yes?"

"I can't imagine what it would be like to be in your situation. I don't want you to feel like you're alone."

"Mm."

"I could come with you. Keep you company as you head to the barrier. I'm sure I can convince mom to let me go on a trip to 'Sam's place'."

"I think Wing is already coming with me, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Wing has duties, especially with the 'war' that's going on. Besides, I haven't had a trip to New Home in a while. It'll be fun!"

Percival and Arlo looked each other in the eye.

"Let's set sail," Percival said.

The two kids smiled.


	3. Chapter 3 - Tranquil Rain

The three came out of the ravine. The village of Snowdin was a cozy place. Little shops and inns, not too big in size. Percival could see a library under construction. There were many monsters in the village, coming in all shapes and sizes. Percival wished he had more time to spend at Snowdin, however he kept his head down and kept going. He couldn't risk a monster recognizing him as human. As the trio left Snowdin, the temperature along the long path began to rise. Wing perked up at the sight of the snow melting away. The magical light that had poured into Snowdin were replaced with lanterns that emitted a calm purple light.

Percival fiddled nervously, shoulders tense and looking down at the floor. the air was humid, the walls were moist with a layer of liquid. The light from the lanterns reflected off the water in a colourful rainbow.

"Is the entire place this cramped?" Percival asked.

"Waterfall is one of the least developed areas of the Underground," Wing replied, "Never very spacious to begin with."

Percival gulped.

"That being said, there are some really nice outlooks."

"I mean, yes," said Arlo, "Doesn't make this place any less cramped. I always get mud in my fur when going through here. Especially in the marshes."

The three squeezed through a narrow hole. The cavern opened up a bit, streams ran through the room. One of them ran across the area, cutting off the exit. Percival looked around, there had to be a way across. Nailed up on a wall he saw a newly made sign, underneath it were 4 very large, closed flowers. Percival began to read the sign.

"Line up the 4 flowers in the water to-"

"WEEEEEEE!" A cry of excitement came from Arlo as he made a running long jump across the stream. "Hah! Hahaha!" Arlo giggled, "I wasn't sure I would be able to make that!"

Wing took a deep breath, disappeared for a second, then emerged seconds later on the other side looking a bit dazed. Percival tightly gripped his notebook, took a step back, then charged at the stream. He smiled from ear to ear as he tossed himself across the stream. Percival bairly landed on the other side, teetering on the edge. Arlo bounced over to him giggling.

"Nice one!" Arlo lent out his hand to Percival. Percival gladly took it. The two looked at each other and burst out in laughter. Wing merely rolled his eyes. The three went through the exit, around a corner, and into another opening. This one also had a stream running through it, though it split in the middle creating a small bit of land.

"Okay you two," Wing started, "I know jumping over the rivers is fun but it would probably be safer if I just tele-" The two were already sprinting at full speed towards the water. Arlo used the small section of land as a stepping stone, swiftly bounding from one side of the stream to the other. Percival attempted the leap straight to the other side. It was a lengthy distance compared to the last stream. He lept, legs extended. His right foot hit land, his left landed right into the water. He felt his left leg sink down into the mud, swiftly pulling it out. Arlo rushed over to him.

"Yikes Percy, you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit da-" Percival looked down at his leg, a translucent, gelatinous blob had latched itself onto Percival.

"Oh geez," Percival shook his leg, the blob didn't move an inch. He tried to pull it off with his good hand, no luck. Arlo gave it a shot but it didn't budge.

"Unless you want me to give it a little shock," Arlo gave a mighty tug, "I don't think I can pull it off..."

"I would absolutely love it if I wasn't electrocuted." Wing appeared out of thin air a couple seconds later, he looked quite dizzy but kept his balance.

"Dammit boys," Wing shook his head, "I would have been fine to just teleport you across." He sighed. "Okay, let's see what we have here..."

Wing knelt down and poked the creature, it didn't have much of a reaction.

"I think it's nibbling at my leg!" Percival exclaimed, "Is it going to eat me?"

"It's just an aquatic monster. A Mushmil I believe. Harmless omnivores that won't eat anything larger than a rat." Percival furiously shook and stomped his leg.

"Like it or not this little guy's hungry, and he's not getting off of my leg anytime soon!"

"We should get him in the water quickly, too much time on land and he'll dehydrate."

"What would happen if he dehydrated?" Arlo asked.

"Failure to properly absorb nutrients, he'd starve." Percival didn't like the idea of sticking his leg in the water again. He looked around at what he had on hand. Book? Not unless he wanted to hurt the little guy. Pencils? Nope. Was there anything in his pouch that would help?

Pie.

With his spare hand he opened his pouch and pulled out one of the two shrinkwrapped snail pie slices that Toriel had given him.

"Arlo!" he yelled,

"Yeah?" Percival gave Arlo one of the pie slices.

"Unwrap it and break off half of it, I think I can get this guy off of me!" Arlo scrambled with the wrap, broke the slice in two, and handed the tip back to Percival.

"Okay little buddy," Percival said, "Hungry? Here!" Percival held his leg over the river and stuck the bit of pie into the Mushmil. The monster pulled the rest of it into his body. Percival could hear it happily gurgling, after a couple seconds it detached, landing right back into the water. Percival gave a sigh of relief.

"I hope there's no more rivers ahead," Wing said, "I don't want you boys being that reckless again but I'm not sure if I can muster up another teleport today." The three bowed below a low place in the ceiling. Arlo gave a small cough as some dust got into his lungs. The tunnel evolved into a large cavernous pit with a new walkway to the other side. A large pool of black water hung at the bottom of the pit.

"Finally a more open area!" Percival exclaimed, "I thought I was going to lose it in those tunnels"

"There'll be a lot more tunnels up ahead," Wing said. The three crossed the bridge, Percival and Wing held hands and slowly navigated the railingless path. Arlo didn't sprint but certainly had a bounce in his step. He ran through the carved out doorway and into the next room. Wing and Percival caught up and joined him. While this room was just as spacious as the last, the three stood there looking at the large lake of water in front of them. The crystals from above them were reflected in the shimmering water. Percival looked at what was sticking out of the water, concern in his eyes.

"That's uh," he said, "That's a very small raft."

"It should probably hold all 3 of us, cramped as it may be."

"Oooh ooh!" Arlo said, he held up the paddle that was rested on top of the raft "Can I paddle? I really want to paddle!" Percival looked down at his broken arm. Wing just shrugged.

"Sure. Let's go everyone, one at a time." Arlo hopped on, Wing and Percival close behind. The raft was as slippery as it was stuffed, Percival crouched down to lower his center of gravity. When they were all on, Arlo began to paddle. Water sprayed everywhere, Percival had to wipe some off of his glasses. Just to be safe he slid his book back in his pouch to prevent it from facing a horrid waterlogged fate.

Dispide Arlo's energetic rowing the raft moved quite slow, eventually Arlo's frantic paddling slowed to a calm row. Percival could hear his heavy breathing. The wind blew through Percival's hair, the raft drifting along the calm waters. Looking into the water he saw fishlike monsters swimming in schools. The slow moving raft, the fish, the calm waters. It brought him back home. Light from the lanterns on the other side of the shore shined a calm blue light across the pond. It all reminded him of-

"Hey Percy, are you alright?" Arlo asked. Percival wiped a tear off his face.

"Yeah," he said, "Just thinking of the fishing trips I took with my family." Wing looked down at Percival,

"Did you have fun on those trips?" Wing asked in a calm voice.

"I never liked fishing itself," Percival said, "Watching the fish flail about, choking, it made me uncomfortable. Despite this I loved spending time with my family, used to go out with them once a month. Sometimes my brother's friends would come along..." Percival took a deep breath. A lily pad brushed up against the side of the raft, Arlo poked it mindlessly.

"Hey," Arlo said, "Sorry about your brother's friend." Wing piped up.

"What happened to your brother's friend?"

"She's dead Wing."

"Oh," Wing looked away, into the darkness.

"Brother was concerned for her mental health. Her parents, I don't think they were nice to them. One day she disappeared without a trace, we all assumed she'd..."

Arlo's shoulders sank, he stopped paddling. The raft slowed to a halt, the ripples that used to spread out from the raft floated away.

"Did they ever find a body?" Wing asked.

"No. There was an investigation but it didn't come to any conclusions. All we heard were rumors. Weird rumors."

"I see..." The raft sat there in the calm water. Nobody could look each other in the eye. Wing took a deep breath.

"When...when the king...when Asgore's son died. It hit me hard, especially with..." Percival looked into Wing's eyes, Wing was tense, his eyes darting back and forth.

"The human kid who came before you, before the war. They died of an illness. They were Asrial's- Asgore's son's friend."

"Oh," Arlo said, "I heard about this. Came downstairs to see momma clutching a newspaper crying. Dad was there too, sobbing just has hard."

"I know what that must have been like," Percival said, "To see someone so close to you lose someone so close to their heart."

"Your brother, he didn't take it well, I presume." Wing replied.

"He shut himself off from the world, didn't talk to anyone at school. When he got home he spent all his time alone at his computer in his room." Arlo shuffled around uncomfortably.

"It was really hard to see him like this. Those rumors didn't help. He lashed out a couple of times when such stories went around. The other times he just burst out into tears."

"Did...did he ever learn to cope?" Arlo asked.

"Not yet. It's the whole reason why I climbed this damn mountain in the first place. Thought that trying to at least prove some of the theories wrong would help. Less rumors go around if people know more facts. Thought I could find the truth but all I found was a broken arm."

"What kind of rumor would have you scaling Mt. Ebott in the first place?"

"Some people thought they saw some kind of creature coming down from the mountain, said it walked on two legs, had large horns, and large wings. Held the body of a kid. Details are skewed after that. Some people claim the thing was a demon, others say it was an angel." Wing's pale face went even paler

"This person," he said, "Did the humans attack it?"

"All that's said is that it ran away, back up the mountain. Whether it was attacked or not varied from version to version"

"Your brother's friend...I think they're the one who fell down here."

"Chara?"

"Yeah."

"You're telling me Chara died of _illness_?"

"As best as we can tell. I saw the soul, still alive and pulsing, escape Chara's body when she died. Asrial, he took the soul and crossed the barrier, all to fulfill Chara's last request. All to lay her to rest in her home village."

"...and when the villagers saw the two...they thought this Asrial had-"

"They struck Asriel down, he just barely made it back with Chara's body before he died." Arlo, who had been avoiding eye contact, lowered his paddle and began to row again. The raft drifted along the water, towards the cost.

"Holly fuck," Percival said, "Holly mother of fuck."

The three went quiet, the shore beckoned as it drew closer and closer.

The silence spread through the cavern, it was deafening.

The shore got even closer

Silence.

They hit the shore.

The three carefully got out of the raft.

They went on. Eventually, Percival piped up.

"I'm getting kinda hungry."

"My lab's right ahead. We can get some food and rest up."

They turned a corner and walked by a little mouse hole. Built into the side of a long hallway was a white entranceway. It stuck out of the wall with a large sign written in a neat, formal font.

"Here she is" Wing said, "My house is attached to the other side of the lab. We can crash there for awhile." They stepped into the lab, the entrance large with a desk to welcome and direct visitors. At the desk sat an orange-yellow lizard, spines running down his back and little claws on his hands. If you looked closely you would nodus that one of his spines had suffered a scratch.

"Dr. Gaster!" He said, face lighting up, "Good thing you're back! I've gotten an email from-"

He locked eyes with Percival. The lizard gulped.

"You're...you're a...oh man." His eyes darted from Percival to Wing back to Percival again. Wing looked the monster dead in the eyes. His tone was flat and serious.

"I am not letting another child die Terrence."

"If...if Asgore finds you sheltering a human..."

"I don't care if I lose my job, I'm not going to stand back and do nothing."

"Dr..."

"I'm not changing my mind."

Percival and Arlo looked at each other, Arlo's eyes full of concern.

"S'cuse me mister," Arlo walked up to Terrence, "We haven't met before, I don't think. My name's Arlo and this is Percival!" Percival gave a meek wave. Wing gave a heavy sigh.

"Come on boys," he started towards the hallway, "Let's get some lunch."

"Lunch!" Arlo skipped down the hall towards Wing, "Lunch lunch lunch!"

Percival watched the two. Slowly, step by step, he began to make his way towards the hallway.

"Hey...Percival was it?" Percival turned around, Terrence was talking to him.

"Uh...yes?"

"I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?" Percival didn't respond.

"Look I'm just concerned for Dr...for Wing. If you somehow get hurt I know he'd never forgive himself."

"I..."

"Please Percival, please stay safe. Stay alert and safe."

Percival gave one last glance at Terrence, then bolted down the hallway to meet up with Wing and Arlo.

"Percival!" Arlo said, "Where were you?"

"Chatting with Terrence." Wing looked a bit distressed.

"You good Wing?" Arlo asked.

"Yeah...yeah...I just don't feel like cooking. Now now at least."

"Oh...I see..." Percival paused, then his face lit up with an idea, "I still have some pie, we could eat that!"

Wing shrugged, "Sure, whatever. What flavor _is_ it anyways."

"Uh, snail?"

"Oh I've had that! It's quite good!" Percival was still quite doubtful, but he kept his mouth shut. But hey, if that monster in the river had liked it perhaps he would too. Then again, they were snails. As they walked on Percival began to hear the pitter-patter of rain outside. Wing pushed open a door, the white, smooth walls of the lab gave way to a more rustic wooden home. Outside a window, Percival could see a large cavernous lake, a sliver of light shawn from a crack in the ceiling.

"Percival, the pie?" With Wing's help, Percival got the pie out of his bag. Wing went off to the kitchen to prepare it. Percival was left in the living room. He sat down on the couch, it was quite comfy. The coffee table was cluttered with notes containing some sort of symbols he didn't recognize. _Might be a good time to start today's journal entry,_ he thought. He managed to wiggle the notebook out of his bag, rest it on the table, and pull out a pencil from his pocket. But what to write? So much had happened today, and it was noon!

But he had to write something. Something was pressing down on him, not letting up. Something he simply couldn't ignore. His pencil tapped lightly on the book. He leaned in to write.

_March 15, 20XX_

_~RIP Chara~_

He paused, that wasn't just it, there was more. He erased his last line and tried again.

_~RIP Chara & Asriel~_

_May your souls rest in peace._

_I left the ruins today and found myself in a snow filled land. Magical lights shawn from the ceiling. They must be magical sunlight of some sort, as evergreens overan the area. Gusts of wind would throw snow up in the air, giving the impression that it was snowing. Most monsters didn't seem to recognize me as a human, they thought I was a monster like them! I dipped into a large ravine where I had a run in with a big worm. It could have done some real damage if I hadn't been rescued. I found myself teleported by a lanky bone white scientist who called himself Wing. He took me to one of his friends house and I met the energetic Arlo. He's a purple bat kid, reminds me of Sal in a way. Much more energetic though. They're both helping me escape this pit._

Wing came into the room and placed down a plate with a half slice of pie on it. It was still quite big in size despite it having been halved.

"Hey," he said, "If you want somewhere to write in peace, I know a spot."

Percival perked up. Wing helped move Percival's stuff to a little porch outside. It was the place Percival had spotted through the window. It overlooked a small, tranquil underground lake. The rain dripped down from the moist ceiling, a steady stream of water came from the crack. The sunlight that shawn from the ceiling reflected through the water in lovely colours.

"Sometimes I come out here when I'm working on a paper. Rains a lot too, we're likely on the wet end of a rain shadow." Percival looked at the sunlight reflected in the water, even though it was cloudy on the surface the sun seemed to pierce the cavern.

"Feel free to stay out here as long as you like. I'm going to go get changed into some lighter clothes." Wing walked back inside. Percival cautiously took a bite out of the snail pie. He found it to taste okay. Not great, just fine. He leaned over and started a new paragraph.

_Found out what happened to Chara. She must have fallen down here too. Died of illness. She made a friend in the king's son, after she died he used her soul to cross the magical barrier that keeps the monsters down here. Guess the townspeople thought he'd killed her because he was attacked and died. It's a shame, considering he got along with Chara perhaps him and David would have made good friends._

He put down the pencil and finished his pie. He couldn't write any more, not now at least. He wiped his face and leaned back on the chair he sat in. The rain slowed up, the sunlight becoming stronger. It cast rainbows that glistened in a thousand colours, spreading across the lake. Despite the time of day he was exhausted. His legs ached and he was out of breath. How much longer would these caves go on? He sat there, the light dripping of the rain going by. Perhapes, just perhaps, he could take a moment. Percival's eyelids grew heavy.

Just a moment...just a…

He fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - Twilight

Percival stood in a cosmic realm, small starlike dust rained down and coated the ground like snow. It glistened under the purple light. The sky was the type you could see as a computer background, far from your normal stargazing night but beautiful nonetheless.

He walked down, footprints being pushed into the dust. The landscape dropped off into a cliff, a figure made out of swirling red light sat on it. Percival sat down next to the being, it's featureless head turned to face Percival.

"Greetings Percy." The creature said.

Percival was silent.

"David cares about you, Percy."

"He's my brother."

"You shouldn't give up. He needs you."

"I wasn't planning on giving up."

"Don't waste your soul Percy."

"I...what?"

"Don't waste your soul."

"What do you mean, what are you?!"

"Wake up Percy."

"Wake up."

"Wake up Percival."

He woke up. Wing and Arlo were shaking him awake.

"Holly crap thank the angel you're awake," it was Arlo.

"A..ng..el?" Percival let out a hearty yawn.

"There's no time, we have to hide you two."

"Wha…?"

"Asgore's at the door, wants to do a check in."

"Asg...OH!" Percival leapt out of the chair and looked around frantically

"Crap crap CRAP. How long was I asleep fo-" He spotted the red light of a sunset shining through the crack in the cavern.

"I know a place, don't worry," Wing said, "Here, follow me." The three ran back into the lab and up the stairs. He opened a door saying 'OFF LIMITS' and into what appeared to be a computer room of sorts. Screens were laid out on the wall showing security footage and large cabinets were filled with video tapes.

"This place is off limits to guests, plus you'll be able to see when he's gone. Say in here," Wing hurried out the door to meet his guest,

"And don't you dare touch any of those tapes!" He flung the door closed.

Arlo and Percival looked at the monitors. They saw him, the king of the monsters, the grand ruler of the dark and damp, Percival looked a bit confused.

"He's...fluffy?"

"Uh...yeah? What were you expecting?"

"Like, a dragon or something intimidating. Anything but a goat."

"Why not a goat? Goats can be very intimidating you know."

"I just associated goats with...well...softness and kindness."

"Hm..."

"First impressions I guess."

As they kept watching as Wing entered the lounge. Terrence looked uncomfortable at his desk however Wing put on the friendliest face Percival had ever seen him make. Asgore smiled and offered Wing some kind of hot drink.

"So..." Arlo asked, "Wana chat?"

"No, not really. Want to keep a lookout."

Wing happily escorted Asgore into some sort of testing area and set up some targets. He picked up a weapon of some sort, though it looked like a work in process. You could see it's inner workings through the frame holding the gun togeather. Percival could hear weird clanking sounds but he stayed focused on the screen. Wing pointed the gun, a bright light shawn from the core of the weapon, and a couple seconds later...BOOM. The knockback neerly flung Wing off his feet. A bead of sweat rolled down Percival's face. CLUNK. He turned around. To his horror Arlo was going through Wing's video tapes.

"Dude put those away!"

"Chill out, we'll just keep this hidden between the two of us."

"Wing's tapes are none of our business."

"These labels are really interesting you know..."

Percival went over to grab the tapes. He saw the labels, written in the same weird symbols he'd seen in Wing's home.

"Please Percy, I'm dying with curiosity."

"Those three are a group."

"Huh?"

"They share similar wording, that is, most of the symbols are the same."

"Man I would have never seen that."

"Guess humans are just good at pattern recognition."

"Guess so."

"Wait, so you're onboard now?" Percival bit his lip.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't also curious."

Arlo gave a sly smile. He picked up one of the grouped tapes, and put it into one of the computers. A new window popped up on the screen. It was a playback recording of some sort of test room. Consoles and computers on one side and broken machinery on the other. The glass that separated the two was broken, shards everywhere. Some of the shards seemed to phaze in and out of existence, along with other loose objects in the room. The footage of the room just rolled. Nothing happened throughout its duration.

"Weird..." Arlo said. Percival took a peek at the security footage, Wing seemed to be showing off some blueprints.

"Wing seems more like a royal engineer then scientist."

"It's a weird job."

"Next tape?"

They picked another tape out of the group and put it in. The room wasn't broken in this one. Wing could be seen in white lab clothes preparing some kind of crystle in the machine. He hooked up the machinery for what seemed like a full 30 minutes, then secured the crystle, and went behind the glass. The footage cut.

"That was kinda boring." Arlo said.

"Eh," Percival said, "I'm legitimately interested in how his machinery works. Shame now it's broken."

"Or he could have fixed it and that tape was taken afterwards."

Percival shrugged, sliding in the last tape, not paying attention to the security cameras.

Wing could be seen conducting the experiment in this one. The light shined through the crystal focused into a laser. This laser was pointed into what looked to be a forcefield. Percival and Arlo could see visible concern on Wing's face. He pulled a lever, the laser shut off. The forcefield seemed to shift, a small part of it changed colours. Wing began to panic as the field kept shifting, unraveling. He held his breath, turned off the forcefield. The field disappeared but the shifting warp grew bigger. Wing turned and ran for the door. He flung it open, got half way through- BANG. The footage went dark.

"What was...huh?" Arlo was poking Percival on the arm, making some sort of batlike squeaking sound. He turned around.

"On the angle's sweet wings, you kids sure are troublemakers."

"Wing!" Arlo said, "Yeah we kinda uh..."

Wing shook his head, "It's fine, just had those organised. Anyways, Asgore left a long time ago, I was waiting!"

"Sorry," Percival said, "Guess I was just distracted."

"Whatever...whatever..." Wing sighed, "You guys want to go for some dinner?"

"Man, guess I did one heck of a power nap."

"Yeah, yeah you did."

"Yikes."

"Yikes indeed."

"So!" Arlo said, piping in, "What's for dinner?"

"How would you two like spaghetti?"

"YES!" Arlo exclaimed, "SPAGETTTTTIIIIIIIII!"

"Percival?"

"Yeah I'm down for spagett."

The three walked back to Wing's home. Percival finally nodused Wing's new outfit. He wore a brown hat and a more formal shirt and tie.

"You like cooking?" Percival asked.

"Yeah," Wing said, "Trying to teach my nieces."

"How's that going?"

"Older one doesn't care. The other likes it but in all honesty he could use more practice."

"Well, hope he makes it one day."

They opened the doors back into Wing's home. He started on dinner, Arlo and Percival watched. Boil water, add pasta, heat sauce…

Once dinner was ready, they all gobbled it up at the table. Wing was a good chef, _better than my mom's undercooked noodles_ Percival thought. He quickly gobbled it up and wiped his face. The three had a chill evening, they didn't really want to do anything tonight. They were all insanely tired. Wing told them tales of Asgore's visit.

"I swear, he must have apologized for coming late at least 5, no...6 times."

Percival was nodding off a little, it was hard to keep track of time down here.

"Hey Percy, want to get some Zzs?" Arlo asked. Percival looked blankly at Arlo.

"I saw how hard you went out earlier. You should get some sleep dude."

Wing showed Arlo and Percival to a guest room. Arlo began to settle in. Percival hit the pillows and went out like a light.

Percival was sitting on the same cliff with the same being of red light. He looked at the being and said flatly.

"What are you."

"Greeting Percy," the being said, "I'm simply an echo."

"Okay, great, what's that."

"I am long gone, friend. Your soul shines with power, it calls forth the past."

"Okay. Sure."

"I care about you Percy."

"Thanks?"

"Beware Percy."

Percy sighed. Dumb dream, very very dumb.

"Beware of the wall where twilight shines through. Beware of the white lies that have shielded you. Beware of the horrid decision you must make. For it will determine the underground's fate."

"Nice poem. Did you write that in English class?"

"Oh, did you like it?"

"Yeah, what was your inspiration, ?"

"I cannot see the future Percy. I know only what I knew and what you know now."

"Yeah whatever."

"Don't give up Percy, David-"

Percival snapped.

"I know okay? I know David needs me. I don't need anyone, especially some ghost in a dream to tell me what I already know. Don't you dare suggest that I should care more or that I should try harder or whatever. I'm getting home. I'll do it."

But nobody was there. The being of light was gone. Percival felt dumb for getting mad at somthing he drempt up. He might as well have been upset at himself.

_Dreams are dumb,_ he thought, _dumb dumb dumb._

Arlo was already bouncing around by the time Percival woke. He left his winter gear at Wing's place and the three of them set off. As they walked through the tight tunnel, Percival made out the sound of rushing water, Wing's eyes lit up.

"It's Sunday. It's Sunday!"

Percival glared Wing.

"The Riverperson will be out there today!"

"...keep going."

"They sail the rivers on Sundays, they let others ride on the boat with them too! We could ride all the way to Hotland, it'd save a lot of time."

"I'm always down for saving time."

Percival thought of his brother David, he had been gone for what, three days now? His family would probably be getting seriously worried about him. Ducking into another passageway, they came to a steady, calm river.

"Here we are, we can wait here until the Riverperson comes."

They sat there. Arlo started playing with a pebble.

"Yo, Percy," he said, "How does school work on the surface?"

"Uh, you go to class, and the teacher teaches stuff. Then they hand out assignments or other work? And then you get grades? Is Monster school any different?"

"I wouldn't really know."

"Huh?"

"I'm homeschooled Percy. With Dad working in the lumbering industry we couldn't live in the big city. Snowdin doesn't have a good school system, so Mom just homeschools me."

"Oh, you stay in that ravine all day, huddled in your house?"

"Yeah, it can get really lonely. Sure Mom's there but dad's out most of the time. When I'm alone in my room while mom is doing taxes or something? Sure I have games to play but I'm still alone."

"Oh man."

"No it's fine, I know I have to make the most out of the time I have with friends. I hope I don't come off as too much."

"It's all good Arlo, in fact I kinda like your energy. I've always wanted to explore past my town, see what else is out there in the world. Guess I'm getting that experience." Arlo and Percival giggled, Wing was looking a bit shy in the corner, he was letting the water run along his hand.

"I guess you are," Arlo said, "Hope I can too someday."

The steady woosh of a boat cutting the water echoed through the cave. Wing waved the boat down as it came by, it swerved and stopped. The Riverperson was a tall, cloaked figure. Percival couldn't make out any distinguishing details, they might as well have been a blue cloak haunted by a ghost.

"Tra la la..." the Riverperson hummed, "Care for a ride?"

"That would be lovely," Wing said, "Could you take us to Hotland?"

"Hop on, la la la..."

The three carefully got on the boat. It was much bigger than the raft they had dealt with yesterday. The Riverperson kept watch on the waters, humming their tunes.

"Tra la la...beware of the wall where twilight shines through..."

"Wait...huh?!" Percival asked, remembering his strange dream, "How did you-"

"I hear many things young human...listen close and one day you may hear one's soul speak."

The heat picked up as the blue walls of the cavern gave way to red tinted stone. They docked and Wing said his goodbyes to the Riverperson. The Riverperson looked straight at Percival.

"Tra la la...beware of the choice you must make young human."

The Riverperson sailed off.

"How can they know about what I dreamed about?"

"Don't sweat it kid," Wing said, "We've all had the Riverperson spout some trippy stuff that they shouldn't know about."

"Anyways," Wing said adjusting his hat, "I hate the heat, let's get out of here."

Hotland was true to its name. The rocky platforms that they walked across hung very high above the lava filled ocean below.

"Oh my god, that's like, actual lava. Like from a volcano."

"Yup," Wing said, "Good source of energy too, we're working on getting a magma powered energy system going."

"Cool!" Arlo said, "So you're going to heat up water with the magma?"

Wing nodded, and guided the kids up and through the crossroads of Hotland.

"Most people don't like this place either. We made an elevator that goes straight to New Home."

"New ho-"

"Big city. Holds most of the monsters."

"Oh okay."

The elevator was all by itself, no building. Wing pushed a button and the elevator slid open.

"And goodbye Hotland. Everyone hop on."

They all hopped on, the elevator closed behind them. Wing leaned against the wall, Arlo giggled and flapped his wings, pretending he was flying. With a _ding_ the elevator doors slid open and they walked out.

"So...how far away are we from the barrier now?"

"Not too far, it's just past the throne room, but Asgore's usually not there. He likes to travel."

The three walked along the stoic, white brick walls.

"This place is just a bundle of fun isn't it," Percival commented.

"The paint was cheap. That's what I heard anyway." Wing responded.

"Do people graffiti the walls around here?"

"It's sometimes encouraged."

"Ooh ooh!" Arlo piped in, "I love the paintings around here! So much more interesting to look at then wood and snow!"

They turned a corner, there was a staircase that seemed to descend into the city. It wasn't in the direction of the throne room though, they kept walking.

"Uh Wing," Percival said.

"Yes?"

"When we went through your tapes…" Wing tensed up a bit, "We watched you do some kind of experiment? One that exploded?"

"Oh you...watched that."

"I just just wondering what happened. It looked...bad."

"I was testing how much power the forcefield could take from a focused laser. I'm making a weapon you see. Anyways, the forcefield reacted, the dimensional rift around it destabilized. Still not sure why."

"The explosion, were you hurt?"

"Not physically. You know how I can teleport?"

"Yeah? Oh."

"Sometimes when I blink out of existence, when I'm in the space between spaces, I have trouble pushing myself back into reality. It scares me to death, the idea that one day I'll be stuck in that place. Stuck, falling further yet further into that dark, shattered world."

"Being alone, stuck in limbo forever. Nothing but your thoughts and the emptiness around you," Arlo said, "That's...that's horrible. Chills me to the bone. I...crap."

"The idea of teleportation, who knows what it could lead to. Perhaps we could make teleportation strong enough to pass the barrier. Yet I'm not going to fool around with that kind of tech. Much too dangerous. If something were to go wrong I could be pulverised, shattered, or turned into some kind of exotic plasma."

They swerved around a house and down some stairs.

"Okay, we're here."

And so they were, Asgore's castle lay in front of them. While impressive it wasn't flamboyant. The gates were wide open and opened up into a garden of golden flowers. It was small but pretty.

"Quickly, this way. Before staff see us." They dashed into a tunnel. It twisted one way and the other. There was a doorway with well made carvings on it.

Inside was the barrier.

It was a huge wall of flickering white light. Sun peeked through the barrier, but the barrier distorted it. It didn't look like it was morning outside, it looked like it was…

Twilight.

A shiver went down Percival's spine. Arlo walked up slowly and knocked on the barrier. It was unflinching.

"Man, this really is it." Arlo leaned against it, "It really is just a big one way wall. Cold too. So, Percival, can you pass through it?"

"That's what I've been told." Wing slightly frowned.

"If you really can go through by yourself then I guess this is goodbye," Wing said.

Arlo looked disheartened, but he shrugged it off.

"Ah, I see. Well good times can't last forever I guess."

"Hey who knows," Percival said, "Once my arm heals up, I'd be down to try and visit. Probably not often though," Percival chuckled a little bit.

"Really? That would be awesome dude!"

Percival smiled, then turned to the barrier. He took a deep breath in…

"Goodbye Percival."

"See you later Percy!"

He ran at the barrier, he pushed against it. He felt pain in his chest, his soul being stressed. The barrier was as cold as ice, he kept pushing...pushing...pushing.

This is for my parents.

He kept pushing.

This is for Sal.

He kept pushing.

This is for Arlo.

The barrier was resisting.

This is for Wing.

He kept pushing.

This is for my brother.

He persevered.

But is wasn't enough.

No matter how hard he pushed, the barrier wouldn't give way. He was frozen up to his core and his soul ached. Yet he kept pushing. He wouldn't, he _couldn't_ give up. He felt Arlo and Wing pushing him as well. He could feel the beating of their souls alongside his. Their souls filled with hope. While compared to a human's, monster souls practically don't shine at all, when compared to the soulless it was like a supernova. Percival kept pushing, his left arm began to hurt as it touched the barrier. He kept pushing. Was he making progress?

Beware of the wall where twilight shines through.

He kept pushing.

Beware of the white lies that have shielded you.

What lies? What could he be missing?

He kept pushing.

Arlo and Wing stopped pushing.

Percival kept pushing.

There was a voice.

"That's not how it works I'm afraid." He didn't recognize this voice, it was deep but also soft. It didn't matter though. He kept pushing.

"You won't get through. I'm sorry to say but a human soul alone can't cross the barrier."

Percival hesitated, and that's all it took. The barrier threw him back. He was chilled to the core, his soul stressed and now all that effort…

"Don't be disheartened, you wouldn't have made it."

Percival turned around. It was Asgore, his figure large but his eyes full of...dread? Wing and Arlo were dead pale. Percival was too shocked, confusioned, and chilled to respond.

"I heard rumors of a human here in the underground. I see now that unfortunately those rumors were true."

"P-please..." Percival said, "Don't do this..."

"I'm sorry, I..." Asgore teared up a little, "I have to. You don't understand."

"Asgore!" Wing stood in front of Percival, "I won't let you do this. I won't stand idle while you kill and innocent kid."

"Dr. Gaster please..."

"No."

"If I don't...our people..."

"I don't care. He's a kid."

Arlo was shaking, he stepped beside Wing.

"M-mr. Asgore...p-please..."

Asgore looked like he was about to burst into tears. Percival saw little sparks flair up around Arlo's hands. _Lightning magic._

"You two, step aside!"

Arlo's hands lit up. Looking away, he sent a bolt of lightning strait into the floor, it caused a massive flash of light and the thunder hurt the ears. Arlo was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"WING!" he said, "GET US OUT OF HERE!"

Percival felt a hand on his shoulder and prepared for teleportation. A second later he was thrust into interdimensional space. He could see the barrier affected even this place. Less strong but still present. It did not last long before the trio crashed back into reality. They dashed to the exit, Arlo stumbled a bit but kept up. Asgore seemed disoriented by the lightning and thunder. He stumbled along and about the hallway. They crashed past the throne room with the garden. Out the door, retracing their steps. They could hear Asgore's voice boom.

"GUARDS, WE'VE GOT A HUMAN RUNNING."

There were footsteps behind them, those of numerous people. Their armor going clank clank clank as they ran on. The three kept running, the elevator was in sight. They ran in and pushed a button. Just as the door closed they could see a confused, young fish person with a royal guard outfit come around the corner.

"Holy crap," Arlo said, "That was...yikes."

"Where do we go from here? They've got the guard on us!" Percival asked.

"I'm...I'm not sure" Wing said.

The elevator door slid open. There was someone at the exit.

"Riverperson?" Wing asked "what are-"

"Though the guards have not yet come they are who you should fear," said the Riverperson, "Don't worry, I can hide you if you come over here." They gestured to their boat. Lacking any better options the trio followed. They hopped in the boat just as the elevator finished it's next round, delivering 4 royal guards.

"Tra la la, let's head off," at once the boat grew four legs and ran across the water leaving ripples in its path.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Percival asked, "I was told by the nice lady in the ruins that I'd be able to get through!"

"I really hoped you could kid, not going to lie," said Wing, "I've been terrified at this possibility but it appears to be true, a human's soul is not enough to pass through the barrier."

"Then...how did Asrial pass through?"

"Because he didn't just have one soul, he had his own as well. He absorbed Chara's soul and the power must have added onto his own. It must take both a human and monster soul to cross the barrier."

"Oh my god I'm confused," the boat ducked under a stalactite, temporarily throwing the four into the air, "Absorbing souls?"

"Are you serious?" Wing said, "Why do you think we're down here, trapped? Your kind went to war with us because they were terrified of our ability to absorb souls. Guess what, we lost. Now we're stuck in this slime bucket all because of what we might be capable of."

"I...I..." Wing burst into tears, "But now I know that...that we'll likely never see the sun, not unless someone's soul is taken."

"So if I need a monster soul as well as my own soul..."

"Monster souls don't last like human souls. They crack shortly after the monster dies. I'm sorry to say but to escape this place someone has to die." Arlo was crying and shaking. The Riverperson stopped their humming. The boat that had been running at a blistering fast pace slowed down and retracted it's legs.

"Fuck," Percival said, "Holly fuck. This is a nightmare."

"Percival," Wing said, "if one person can get through the barrier, I think that's all it would take."

"Take for what?"

"For everyone to be free. With enough human souls we think the barrier could be broken. Human souls last after death right? So we could just find the ones we need. We'd only need around 7 anyways. That's kinda why Asgore declared war on humanity."

"I thought it was because his son died."

"Yes but the prospect of escape some day gives everyone hope. Hope is what keeps us going, what keeps us moving. Without hope we'll descend further and further into misery until our souls crack from the stress."

"Beware Percival," the Riverperson said, "Echos do not lie. Choose your choices carefully. The fate of the underground hangs in the balance."

"I don't understand...what choice do I-"

Percival went white.

"I-If I die...if Asgore...oh man. If he absorbs my soul then he can set you free. All of you."

"Percival...what are you thinking," Wing said bluntly.

"I don't want to hide for the rest of my life. I don't want to live in fear of having my soul torn from my body. Hiding, waiting for someone unfortunate to fall down here and take the bullet for me. I...I can't kill anyone either. Even if I wanted to, look at me! There's no way I could even put up a fight! I have no experience, no weapons...and I'd still be killing someone."

"Holly shit Percy," Arlo said, "Are you seriously considering _giving_ yourself up to Asgore?"

"I..." Percival was shaking, "I...yeah..."

"Dude no. No way, I can't let you do this. It's basically, no, it IS suicide!"

"Do you have any recommendations? Trust me I am all ears right now."

"I don't know, just...anything else! There has to be another way...I'm not ready to lose you Percy. What...what about your brother?"

Percival's eyes were red, he kneeled over and started to sob.

"What would he think if he knew I killed someone? Or caused someone's death? He'd never forgive me again! He'd hate me for doing to that person's family what Chara's lost had done to him...I'd never be able to live with myself..."

"Wing? Do you have any ideas? Teleportation?"

"As I said before, insanely risky. If something went wrong...who knows what the consequences would be."

There was silence. Percival reached into his notebook and wrote one last entry.

_March 16, 20XX_

_I love you David. I love you more than anything out in the deep night sky and I pray you'll forgive me. I've come to the terrifying realisation that nobody can leave this cursed place without someone else's soul. Someone has to die. If you're reading this David, then I'm likely gone. I can't put up the idea of killing someone. I just can't. Somehow the idea of hiding while some innocent person suffers...I can't live with it either. But if I go...I can free everyone. Every single person down here._

_David...I hope Sal is good to you. I hope mom and dad take care of you. I don't want to be forgotten. I want this to mean something. I don't want my memory to become a distant echo, a shell of who I was._

_But most importantly...from the bottom of my soul...take care of yourself. I know you can do it._

_-Percy_

He closed the book, not showing it to Arlo or Wing. The Riverperson docked at waterfall. Percival gave his notebook to Arlo.

"Can I ask you something..?"

"...sure..."

Percival took off his glasses and placed them on top of the book. He began to swint to try and see.

"When you get to the surface...I want you to give these to my brother. His name's David Bonsberry. Lives on 253 Fargion Road in the town near Mt. Ebbot."

"P-percy..." Arlo gave Percival a big hug, squeezing him tight. His arm hurt, but he didn't mind. He embraced Arlo for a final hug.

"Percy...I won't forget you. No matter what."

"Me too," said Wing, "I..." he opened his hand for a shake, "It was nice to meet you Percival. I...oh god..." Arlo stopped hugging and wiped his tears. Percival shook Wing's hand. He stumbled out of the boat, trying to make out the shapes around him. Wing was shaking but still turned around and began to comfort Arlo who was crying madly.

"Please everyone...take care! I wish you all have wonderful lives! I...I..." he sniffled, turned around, and ran off.

They would never see each other again.


	5. Chapter 5 - Letters

Everyone was talking about it. The kid who had given his life for the monsters. How Asgore had found him sitting alone in the rain, with only one request. _Please Asgore, use my soul to free your people._ At least that's how the media put it. Wing sat alone in his room, listening to some heavy metal. There was a buzz in his pocket, he pulled out his phone.

It was a text from Terrence.

Hey Dr. Gaster. Fish lady at the door. She's in a royal guard uniform, has something for you.

He'd been dreading this. The inevitable backlash from Asgore for helping a human. And for what? For the kid to have given up. He might have taken all that worry and all that fear and tossed it in the trash.

Could it be worse?

Oh yeah, he could lose his job. Swell. Wing began to make his way to the front desk. He'd been surprised that Asgore hadn't absorbed Percival's soul yet. Freeing the monsters, giving them what they've hoped for so long to have, that would be his top priority yes? He got to the desk, the fish lady and Terrence were engaged in conversation.

"Well..." Terrence said, "If you're interested in learning more about these kinds of labs my daughter has- oh there you are Dr. Gaster!"

The fish gave a wave and a big smile. She placed a scroll down on the table, it bare the royal seal.

"There you go Dr. Gaster," she said, "Strait from the King himself!"

"Have I seen you before?" Wing asked.

"Probably not, I'm new. They wouldn't want those high ranking woofers wasting their time delivering letters now would they."

Wing took the letter and, with a gulp, opened it.

_March 18 20XX_

_To Dr. Gaster_

_I apologize for the actions I took on the day of your friend's death. You know very well why I had to do it. Do not worry, your position is safe. I understand why you didn't want to let that human die. Truth be told it was hard for me too. To see the look in his eyes...I'll never forget it._

_That being said I must ask that you refrain from assisting any other humans who may fall down here, even if they are children._

_With this in mind I would like to ask you a question, do you think that studying the soul could be beneficial to our understanding of how both humans and monsters work? Just be sure to have the answer in by next friday._

_Have a lovely day._

_Sincerely,_

_Asgore Dreemurr_

Wing could feel a weight lifted from his chest. He even felt a little silly. Of course Asgore would forgive him, but the idea of experimenting on his former friend's soul? No way...right? The guard and Terrence had resumed their chatter.

"Yeah, my daughter's currently doing research into ghosts and how they fuse with corporal bodies."

"Hotland you said?"

"Yup, she'll sometimes send me letters."

"Ugg...I've never liked Hotland. Much too dry, and all that construction going on with the core...the noise drills holes through my head."

Wing considered the idea of revisiting teleportation. Nah, he though, still too risky. Besides, no point in risking it when they were so close to freedom. But still, if he could find a way to free the monsters without Percival's soul being destroyed perhaps he could find a way to bring him back somehow.

"Anyways...Terrence was it? Nice to chat with you but I really better be getting back!"

"See ya later Undyne! I wish you good luck in your future!"

Getting back...oh man had Arlo heard what had happened? That kid lived under a rock...no he would have heard about it from his dad right? Probably wouldn't be bad to do a check in on the kid. Yes, he had the time anyways. He'd just take one of the boat ferries over to Snowdin. Sure it would cost a little but hey, public transit isn't cheap.

"I think I'm going to pop on over to Snowdin," he said to Terrence.

"On a weekday?"

"Yeah, I'm off hours now anyways."

"I'll be finishing up here, have documents to do legal stuff with."

"Good luck with that," Wing grabbed his winter gear along with his wallet and headed off. The good thing about the water transit was that it never took too long for a boat to show. Though it cost a pretty pennie to ride. Not a lot of people wanted to ride from Hotland all the way to Snowdin, or anywhere in between for that matter. They had to cover their costs somehow. Wing sighed and got on the boat. It was wide and long to hold as many passengers as could fit. He paid the fair to the candlelike monster at the helm of the boat. Feeling the wind against his face as the boat cut through the water was refreshing. It somehow managed to feel like real fresh air, not the stuffy damp air he'd known since he was a kid. What would he have been like in Arlo's shoes, he wondered to himself, to be a kid who got to meet a real human.

Eh, he though. They probably wouldn't have gotten along quite as well as Arlo had. He was more wary of strangers as a kid. That being said Percival did seem to have quite an interest in the sciences…

Wing shook his head, no point in staying in the past. There was nothing he could do now. His mistakes were behind him. The air turned chilly as the boat approached Snowdin. He began to put on his extensive winter gear. A skinny man like him could freeze out here!

What if he moved to Snowdin? He'd miss his serine pool that he often relaxed neer, the sunlight trickling down, being distorted by the barrier into all sorts of neet, colourful lights. But here in Snowdin there was a closely knit community, consistent sun-mimicking lights, and honest fresh air from the trees!

The boat docked at the Snowdin stop. Wing hopped off and stretched his legs. He put his hand against one of the evergreen trees, tracing the bark's pattern with his gloved hand. It was a miracle they ever got these to grow! Definitely one of the Underground's more spectacular accomplishments. Unfortunate that they would have to leave it all behind once they reached the surface, but oh well.

Percival would have loved to have learned the intricacies of the program.

But Percival was behind him. Taking a deep breath of the wintery air he pushed on into the main town. The little down was buzzing with life today. Everyone was alight with excitement...but more importantly...

Hope.

Every single one of them would talk about their hopes and dreams for the future. What their plans were for life on the surface. Some talked about the huge landscapes they could capture in paint, others talked about the myriad of creatures that walked the surface. Even some that could fly!

There was no way he could experiment with Percival's soul...not only would it be heart wrenching, but everyone was so excited! How could he delay this from them?

Poor Percival...dying along in the cold and the rain…

But it was in the past.

Could he have done something? Could he have saved him?

Perhaps...but he didn't. He couldn't do anything now. He'd lost his chance. He went over the hill and down the ravine. This place was so prystine. You could barely even tell you were underground!

The path through the ravine was rough. The combination of the snowstorms down here and the lack of people coming through here meant that you could almost never see the path.

Then he was there, at the little wooden hut. Smoke was pouring from it's chimney and lights shawn through the windows.

He knocked, a dark-purple humanoid bat on the more burly side opened the door.

"Ah!" he said with surprise, "If it ain't my good pal Wing!"

"Heya! How have you been?"

"Just fantastic! You've heard the news!"

Wing smiled, "Great, hey can I talk to your son?"

"Arlo?"

"Yeah."

"Uh sure. He hasn't really been talking to anyone though. He's staying all cooped up in his room playing games all day. Only coming downstairs for school and meals."

"I'll give conversation a chance."

He went upstairs. The door to Arlo's room was shut but Wing could hear the clickity clack of the controller. He knocked on the door, there was no response.

"Hey Arlo? It's Wing. I wanted to talk to you if you're available."

"Yeah sure," Arlo muttered, "Come on in."

He opened the door, the place looked like even more of a mess than usual. Toys were scattered everywhere, controller's were on the floor, and the bed wasn't made.

"Hey...do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No not really."

Wing didn't want to either. It was like poking an open wound. His mind would spin around and around with doubt and uncertainty.

"Yeah...I get that," Wing sat down on one of Arlo's beanbags, "Hey is this a fighting game?"

"Yup..."

"Could I join in? Haven't played one of these in forever."

Arlo finished the current round and grabbed a controller for Wing. He really wasn't in the mood to talk about Percy. He'd stashed away Percy's belongings in the bottom of his closet. He'd hoped to move on, but it was hard. It was fresh on his mind and it was easy to trigger memories of what had happened, of his loss.

He felt terrible for Percy's brother. He already lost Chara but now someone else so close to him had died. Could he keep it together? Arlo hoped so.

"Okay, just pick whoever. I'll just be this guy." His character was an acidic sludge monster. Wing picked the catlike psychic character. A top tier, of course.

"So, you've got three attack buttons..." Arlo explained the basics of the game's controls, along with his character's skills.

"I think I've got the hang of this!" Wing said.

"Alright...three two one..." The two went at each other. Arlo was pulling off some basic combos. Wing was taking the more cheesy approach, running away and pelting him with projectiles.

"You're getting off some strong combos Arlo."

"I've been practicing."

"For how long?"

"Since...last thursday?"

"Have you just been playing this game all day for the last two days?"

"Basically yeah. Might go online soon."

"Crap that's..."

"Look, I know dude," Arlo was getting a little ticked now, "It's unhealthy, both physically and mentaly. Do you think I haven't had this talk before?"

"Arlo..."

"I'm sure I'll get over it one day."

"Arlo it hurts me too. Do you know how hard the last few days have been? Trying to focus on your work only to think about..."

"Yeah. Yeah I kinda do. School's been rough man. Doing the work is hard and on top of that mom and dad keep pushing me to talk about Percy. Guess what, I can't. I can't! How the hell do I tell them that I saw Percy leave, running out to his death."

Wing put his hand on Arlo's shoulder.

"I don't know..."

I don't know.

Those words seemed to summarize how Arlo felt about all of this. I don't know. How could he know? How was he supposed to react to something like this? Wing and Arlo finished the game. It wasn't even a contest, Arlo had owned Wing. Wasn't too surprising considering the amount of practice he had done.

"I better be leaving now," Wing said, "I just wanted to come check up on you. Thanks for letting me play!"

"See you later I guess..."

Wing went downstairs and closed the door. Arlo could hear him getting his stuff on and leaving. He disconnected Wing's controller. He paused for a second, then resolved just to turn off the game entirely. He didn't feel like playing anymore. He walked over and laid down on his bed, gazing up at nothing. Nothing but the paint of his bedroom ceiling. When Arlo's dad had come in with the news his colleagues had shared with him, mom didn't cheer, nor did he.

There was something tugging on him inside. He got up and opened the closet door. Percy's stuff was right where he left it. It almost glared at him. He picked up the notebook and flipped through to find this thing was a diary. He read the last entry. He paused, and read it again and again. It was powerful to Arlo, by the end of it he was crying all over again.

He knew now what he had to do. He HAD to deliver this to David. He might not have been able to save Percy but he would do his darndest to comfort and do all he could for David. Besides, it's what Percy would have wanted...right?

And in that moment, Arlo was filled with what had deprived him the last couple of days. For the first time since Percy's death, he looked up to the future.

He was filled with resolve to help David.

On top of that, there was something else that he felt. The idea of seeing the fiery sun, of starting a new life, potentially going to public school. The idea of that...of getting all that he ever wanted….

...it filled him with hope.


End file.
